The government of USA He accepted on Wednesday, May 21, the Boeing 747 offered by Taste To be used as Air Force One presidential planewhich has been subject to controversy for the questions it raises on intelligence and security issues.
The spokesman of PentagonSean Parnell, indicated in a statement to the press that the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, has accepted said plane “in accordance with all federal norms and regulations.”
“The Department of Defense will work to ensure that appropriate security measures and functional mission requirements are considered for an aircraft used to transport the president of USA“He added.
For more details, he referred to the Air Force.
About Catarí’s offer
The news about the Catarí offer was leaked in the middle of the month and from the beginning was received with skepticism, even among the Republican ranks, which doubt that the complex process necessary to adapt the aircraft to the safety requirements justifies its acceptance.
“It could be stupid and say: ‘No, we don’t want a free and very expensive plane’, but it seemed like a great gesture,” said the president later Donald Trumpin his social Truth network, where he denied that it is a personal gift and assured that, at the end of his second term, in 2029, he will stop using it and deposit it in his presidential library.
The Prime Minister of TasteMohamed Bin Abdulrahmán, said Tuesday that his offer is something “normal between allies” and not a “bribe.”
As reported by the CNN chain, contradicting the official version, it was the Republican administration the one that initially contacted the Catarí kingdom.
The offer has caused criticisms of allies and detractors equally, who cite a provision of the Constitution that Public officials prohibit accept governments gifts or foreign representatives.
A group of Democratic senatorsmembers of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, denounced in a statement that the gift represents “a clear conflict of interest” and “invites foreign influence” in USA.
The implication of Taste arises after the disappointment of Trump before the repeated delays that Boeing accumulates in the manufacture of a new Air Force One.
During his first term (2017-2021), the Republican ordered the Pentagon disburse US $ 3.900 million for a pair of Boeing 747-8 that would serve as the next generation of the Air Force One. The White House He declared last February that the project “has been postponed for five years, postponed until 2029 or later, despite the fact that the contract was awarded in 2018”.
🇺🇸🇶🇦 | The United States accepted the plane, known as “Flying Palace”, which is valued at 400 million dollars as a Qatar gift and the Air Force was asked to determine a way to modernize it quickly to use it as a new Air Force One. pic.twitter.com/6djswvnjop
– World alert (@alertamundonews) May 21, 2025
However, convert the luxury plane offered by Taste In one suitable for the function presidential It could cost hundreds of millions of dollars and require up to two years, due to the installation of security equipment, communication systems and defensive capabilities.
This situation has generated questions, even among Republicans. For Senator Ted Cruz, from Texasaccepting that plane “poses important problems of espionage and surveillance”, an opinion shared by Democratic legislators such as Jack Reed, who has warned about the risks of allowing a foreign nation to have potential access to sensitive systems and communications.